Sports & Recreation

Best Day Trip Orange County 2013 - Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Readers' Choice: San Diego

Set aside your memories of being 19 and stupid in crappy bars on Calle Coahuila, and ignore the media frenzy over the violence that happened in 2008; Tijuana is blossoming, and you're the last one to realize it. Shop in the artisan markets, browse the central food market, then wander the newly gentrifying Avenida Revolución. Have a mind-blowing dinner at a fancy Baja Med restaurant such as Misión 19 or La Querencia, or maybe order the original caesar salad from Caesar's, and then a craft beer from one of the city's two dozen craft breweries. Come back through the Otay Mesa crossing, though; otherwise, your day trip will have turned into a rage-filled overnight debacle.